A Natural Progression-How Self-Regulation is Internalized
Understanding how self-regulation occurs in a child’s development will give us a basis for understanding how we may strengthen executive function for children who have difficulty with self-regulation. Basically self-regulation begins in infancy and continues into late adolescence with the most rapid development during the ages of 3 to 5 years old. It begins externally and hopefully develops to internal thoughts.
Self-regulation is used in language to share thoughts and to communicate ideas and feelings with others. Plus it is used to try to influence the behavior of others. When a baby says, “Baba.” She is wanting her mother to give her a bottle. As children become capable of doing things for themselves, shared language can help improve their performance. Giving children clues of how to solve problems helps them to self-regulate through internal language. Language is still external but at around the age of 2 years, children begin to use language to self-direct plans and guide their own activities. Speech not only influences how children manipulate their environment but it also provides a means for children to regulate their emotions and behaviors.
Moving from external to internal forms of regulation can be observed in the changes that take place in children’s play as they mature. These interactions are actually workshops for building higher mental functions. Pretend play with adults prepares children for pretend play with peers moving children even further along the road of self-regulation. Preschool programs are one setting in which cooperative play with peers can flourish. When the teacher intervenes and guidesthem to solve problems, children are able to resolve issues and move on with their play.
As children mature and have a stronger working memory they are less likely to tolerate a different point of view. If they have practice with self-regulation, children are more likely to try to work things out. As they discuss, argue, and negotiate how to play, they are mentally trying out different solutions to problems. Play activities can help children develop exactly the skills that they will need to succeed in school.
The chapter theorized that all children follow a natural developmental path from externally to internally directed behavior. It also suggest that children have an instinct or natural drive toward greater inner regulation Although there is some thought that self-regulation is not taught but emerges as a result of an interaction between the child’s capabilities in a social environment, others suggest that nurture also plays an important role.
Every child is different. Some have difficulty expressing their ideas verbally. Some struggle to get along with peers or follow classroom routines. In each case, however, one thing is the same: improved learning and behavior requires strongself-regulation skills. Research has found that young children who engage in intentional self-regulation learn more and go further in their education. Children develop foundational skills for self-regulation in the first five years of life which means early childhood teachers play an important role in helping young children regulate thinking and behavior. Fortunately, teaching self-regulation does not require a separate curriculum. The most powerful way teachers can help children learn self-regulation is by modeling and scaffolding it during ordinary activities.
Teachers can use a variety of strategies to develop problem solving, sharing, and better listening skills for self-regulation. Three teaching strategies to help the development of self-regulation are modeling, using hints and cues, and graduallywithdrawing adult support.
Yeager, Marcie, and Marcie Yeager. Executive Function and Child Development. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print.
Understanding how self-regulation occurs in a child’s development will give us a basis for understanding how we may strengthen executive function for children who have difficulty with self-regulation. Basically self-regulation begins in infancy and continues into late adolescence with the most rapid development during the ages of 3 to 5 years old. It begins externally and hopefully develops to internal thoughts.
Self-regulation is used in language to share thoughts and to communicate ideas and feelings with others. Plus it is used to try to influence the behavior of others. When a baby says, “Baba.” She is wanting her mother to give her a bottle. As children become capable of doing things for themselves, shared language can help improve their performance. Giving children clues of how to solve problems helps them to self-regulate through internal language. Language is still external but at around the age of 2 years, children begin to use language to self-direct plans and guide their own activities. Speech not only influences how children manipulate their environment but it also provides a means for children to regulate their emotions and behaviors.
Moving from external to internal forms of regulation can be observed in the changes that take place in children’s play as they mature. These interactions are actually workshops for building higher mental functions. Pretend play with adults prepares children for pretend play with peers moving children even further along the road of self-regulation. Preschool programs are one setting in which cooperative play with peers can flourish. When the teacher intervenes and guidesthem to solve problems, children are able to resolve issues and move on with their play.
As children mature and have a stronger working memory they are less likely to tolerate a different point of view. If they have practice with self-regulation, children are more likely to try to work things out. As they discuss, argue, and negotiate how to play, they are mentally trying out different solutions to problems. Play activities can help children develop exactly the skills that they will need to succeed in school.
The chapter theorized that all children follow a natural developmental path from externally to internally directed behavior. It also suggest that children have an instinct or natural drive toward greater inner regulation Although there is some thought that self-regulation is not taught but emerges as a result of an interaction between the child’s capabilities in a social environment, others suggest that nurture also plays an important role.
Every child is different. Some have difficulty expressing their ideas verbally. Some struggle to get along with peers or follow classroom routines. In each case, however, one thing is the same: improved learning and behavior requires strongself-regulation skills. Research has found that young children who engage in intentional self-regulation learn more and go further in their education. Children develop foundational skills for self-regulation in the first five years of life which means early childhood teachers play an important role in helping young children regulate thinking and behavior. Fortunately, teaching self-regulation does not require a separate curriculum. The most powerful way teachers can help children learn self-regulation is by modeling and scaffolding it during ordinary activities.
Teachers can use a variety of strategies to develop problem solving, sharing, and better listening skills for self-regulation. Three teaching strategies to help the development of self-regulation are modeling, using hints and cues, and graduallywithdrawing adult support.
Yeager, Marcie, and Marcie Yeager. Executive Function and Child Development. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print.